The tradition of the Seville Fair (Feria de Abril, Feria De Sevilla) — aka «April Fair» — is over 150 years old. The first feria was held in 1846 or 1847 — sources differ. What is known for sure: at first it was a livestock fair. But Andalusians only need a reason to gather — and the holiday will appear by itself. Therefore, in the early years of the fair appeared the first tents-salons of the local nobility: they met with friends and partners, solved business, and at the same time danced, ate and drank manzanilla. The tradition was supported by the Queen and the fair became an annual event.
Seville Fair dates
The April Feria starts two weeks after Holy Week, so the dates are different every year. 2020 was the first year since 1847 that the fair did not take place: it was canceled due to the corona pandemic.
Tentative dates for 2021—2023:
2021 | April 18 — April 24. |
2022 | May 1 — May 7. |
2023 | April 23 — 29. |
Before booking your tickets and hotel, check the dates of the fair on Seville’s official tourism website.
What to do at the April Fayre
The Seville Fair lasts for a week. The most colorful events take place from Wednesday to the second Saturday — if you can’t attend the whole extravaganza, choose these days.
It’s best if you have a local guide in town to show you the best fairground entertainment and guide you to the non-touristy casetas.
Ride the merry-go-round on Hell Street.
The Seville Fair takes place in the Los Remedios district. Part of this area is set aside each year for the Calle del Infierno (Hell Street) amusement park — over 500 rides, shows, circus events and entertainment for all ages in an area of 64,000 square meters.
See the best bullfighting
The fair coincides with the start of the bullfighting season, and it is during these days that the best performances of the season are held, when the most famous bullfighters face the most vicious and strongest bulls in the Seville arena.
You can see the arena without a show: there are guided tours.
To penetrate the tape
The main attraction of the Seville Fair is the casetas , or tents (literally caseta — «little house»). From evening until morning, the streets and casetas are filled with traditional Sevillana dancing, drinking manzanilla and rebujito, and eating tapas.
Most cassettes are private and closed. They belong to prominent local families, groups of friends, businesses, clubs, associations or political parties. Each has its own bar with food and drinks, tables, toilets and space for dancing. You can only get in by invitation of the hosts. Having your own cassette at the feria is an indicator of high status in the city and an opportunity to impress friends and partners, which is why the tents bear the same names on their facades year after year. An interesting point: from 12:00, the curtains of all tents have to be closed, so you can’t see what’s going on inside.
In total, there are more than a thousand cassettes of different sizes along 15 streets in the feria. Some of them are open to the public: for example, those belonging to municipal authorities, trade unions and political parties. You can get a list of public cassettes from the tourist information kiosk at the fair. Usually the public stalls are so crowded that it is difficult to get through to the bar, and food and drinks can be 2 times higher than usual in bars.
Watch the Caballos parade
Each day the festival begins with a parade of carts and riders (paseo de caballos). At noon, they arrive at the arena in the Plaza de Toros, where bullfighting takes place almost daily.
to try to dance the sevillana
Sevillana (pronounced «seviyana») is a folk dance of Seville, a variation of the Castilian segidilla. An outsider would hardly distinguish Sevillana from Flamenco, but know that it is Sevillana that is danced at the feria. Danced by non-professional dancers, usually in groups, and the script of the dance is pre-staged — this distinguishes sevillana from real flamenco. The movements of the dancers are similar to flamingo mating dances — they are provocatively close but do not touch each other: historically, the sevillana was a courtship dance in a strict religious society, where unmarried men and women had no other chance to be alone than at the feria, in front of everyone.

Recalculate the illumination
Try to imagine the figure: at least 350,000 light bulbs and paper lanterns are used to decorate the fairy lights!
The illuminations are switched on by the mayor of Seville at midnight on Sunday. The main decoration is the large entrance arch, the Portada, and with it the fair is decorated with thousands of farolillos — paper lanterns.
Dress like a Sevillian
Like Oktoberfest in Munich, the Seville Fair has its own dress code. It’s optional for a tourist to wear it, but a person in plain clothes is more likely to look like a white crow. Blending in with the locals and perhaps accidentally sneaking into a private cassette is a higher chance in such a costume.
Women’s costume repeats the gypsy dress (Traje Gitanas) — these are bright, colorful dresses, often in polka dots and necessarily with flounces on the skirts. A shawl on the shoulders and the obligatory fan in the hands.

Men are more likely to wear a regular suit, but those who are lucky enough to have the figure and those who come on horseback or in carriages wear the traje corto, a short suit of tight-fitting pants and a short, tight-fitting jacket with a wide-brimmed hat.
For the locals, a costume is another reason to stand out, just like the presence and status of a cassette or carriage. A wealthy Sevillian woman wears each dress only once, and she has at least one new dress for each day of the feria. Sometimes she has two — a different one for the day and one for the evening.
Even a single dress will allow you to pretend you’re a local and take atmospheric photos at the feria. All year round, traditional dresses are sold in stores on the streets of Seville and in shopping centers (such as El Corte Ingles). Some of them are very colorful and festive, but you can also find more neutral, almost casual options.

Food and drink of the Seville Feria
The official drink of the fair is a light, dry white sherry called manzanilla and a cocktail based on it called rebujito: manzanilla (or its close equivalent, fino), mint and soda (sometimes substituted for Sprite). The Seville Tourist Office estimates that 1.5 million bottles of manzanilla are drunk during the fair.
The traditional tapas of the fair are «Calamares fritos con ali-oli Andaluz», deep-fried squid rings with spicy garlic mayonnaise (aioli sauce). Another unusual dish that has migrated from the feria menu to the tapas bar menu is the «pescaido frito»: small tortillas made of deep-fried dough and small pieces of fish, squid («calamares fritos») or miniature baby shrimp («gambas fritos»). Calamari and shrimp both in tortillas and simply fried are called the same, so it’s easy to get confused.
Tapas at feria are mostly simple, those that are prepared in seconds — cooked beans or nuts, deep-fried cod, sandwiches — «montaditos».


Transportation during the Seville Fair
- You should forget about your car during the fair. The nearest convenient parking lot to the fair is Charco de la Pava, from where you have to get to the festival by bus, or parking lots near San Juan Bajo and San Juan Alto, from where you can get to the metro. Locals warn that the police do not discount during the festival and actively check drivers with a breathalyzer.
- Cabs significantly increase their fares during the extravaganza. Cabs stop at the main arch (Portada), where those wishing to leave queue up. The peak time is around 2:00 am, when you can spend at least an hour in line. Only official city cabs can stop at the Portada, while Cabify, Uber and other unofficial cabs pick up their passengers at Avenida Juan Pablo II.
- If you’re coming from the center, the best transportation option is the bus. The city lines C1, C2, 5, 6 and 41, which run to the fairgrounds, run 24 hours a day during the extravaganza. From some suburbs there are special buses to the fair, some of them even free of charge, but you should check in advance on the fair’s website. It may be the most economical option to stay cheaper outside of Seville itself, but keep in mind that these buses only leave once an hour, and the situation may change every year.
- The subway also runs 24 hours a day during the extravaganza. The closest stops are Plaza de Cuba and Parque de Los Principes. The Blas Infante stop is the closest to Hell Street.
- Finally, the most luxurious and authentic way to arrive at the fair is by horse or carriage. The cost is from 150 € per person. If you book in advance, you can save money.

What you need to know about the Seville Feria
- The April Fair is not a gastrofestival, and unless you have an invitation to a cassette, you should go there well-fed. You’ll overpay in the public kasetas (and you still have to get to the food), but outside the kasetas there’s practically nowhere to eat.
- The most spectacular for tourists takes place during the day: Sevilleans in traditional costumes are happy to pose for photos, riders and carriages parade through the streets. In the evening and at night all the action moves inside the casetas, and unless you have an invitation, there is nothing to do at the extravaganza in the dark. But you can take a ride on the Hell Street rides.
- The most important days of the feria are Wednesday and Friday. On Saturday or Sunday night, the festival closes with a fireworks display on the Guadalquivir River. Spaniards from all over the country and thousands of tourists flock to Seville by the weekend.
- All public transportation is very crowded, be prepared to not fit on a bus the first time or have to wait hours for a cab, especially on weekends.
- The «streets» of the fair are covered with albero, a special bright yellow sand, just like the one that covers the bullfighting arena. This coating makes your shoes dirty, but it looks colorful.
On the map, the mint color indicates the public kasetas, which are open to everyone, and the red highlighted kasetas specifically for tourists. As you can see, there are not many public kasetas, so they are very crowded.

Where to stay during the April Fair
Feria in Seville is a time of high season, crowded bars and high hotel prices. You can only find reasonable accommodation for under 100 € in areas that are far enough away from the fairgrounds to be easily accessible on foot. If you’re looking for accommodation in remote areas, check out the transportation system to see if the metro and bus routes C1, C2, 5, 6 and 41 are nearby.
You should book your accommodation as early as possible — the closer you get to the fair, the higher the prices. Usually in June there are no good options for next year. The best places to stay are near Los Remedios, but these are the first to sell out and prices skyrocket.
- The WISH SUITE SEVILLA PENTHOUSE DELUXE apartment for 4 people in the Los Remedios neighborhood, a stone’s throw from the fairgrounds, can be rented for 140 € per night in normal times and 350 € during the fair.
- Similarly, the prices for more comfortable apartments of the same management company WISH SUITE NIEBLA DE SEVILLA — from 180 € per day to 500 € for four people.
However, Seville is not a very large city and within walking distance of the fair, you can stay in the Triana neighborhood, around the metro stations, in the Santa Cruz area and near Plaza de España, or a little further south.
- The Urban House Siurot 33 aparthotel can be rented for just 80 € for two people. It is located 3 km southeast of the fairgrounds, so it is much quieter at night around the hotel than near the fairgrounds and you can get a good night’s sleep.
- Good hotel 4* Exe Sevilla Palmera: a room for two in normal time can be rented from 60 €, and during the extravaganza — from 179 €. Bonus — a magnificent panoramic view of Seville from the top terrace of the skyscraper.
- The budget aparthotel Resitur 304 also raises its prices threefold: from 60 € on normal days to 180 € during the fair. But it is located in the colorful Triana district, so it’s a short walk to the main attractions of the center.
- In 400 m from the cathedral you can rent a room in 4* hotel Hotel Legado Alcazar for 180—200 € for two people with breakfast, and right next to it — more budget H. Boutique Voluve Sevilla, where even during the fair you can spend the night for 100—120 €.